Review: Baculum

Baculum by Christina Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lincoln and Myla just got married and are looking forward to their honeymoon.  Those plans quickly change when Lincoln’s dad tells them he already has ideas for their future baby.  Lincoln and Myla will do absolutely anything to protect their unborn son.  Myla goes on an adventure to break the agreement and Lincoln agrees to fight for Ringmaster Kell.  Lincoln knows he needs to fight to protect Myla and his son.  He is also looking forward to the bonus of destroying Ringmaster Kell.  Will Lincoln survive the Viking Games?  Will Myla be able to do what it takes to break the agreement that binds her son?

 

Baculum is the fourth book in the Angelbound Lincoln series.  This fantasy adventure is action-packed just like its predecessors.  Bauer informs readers before the story begins that this book takes place early in the actual Angelbound Lincoln series, but she also wrote the story without any spoilers.  With that said, I don’t know if it would have been as enjoyable without all the backstory we have from the previously published works.  I have always loved these two strong characters and can’t wait for the next story in this universe.

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Review: Game Changer

Game Changer by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was supposed to be another football game for Ash, but after one fateful hit … his life isn’t the same.  It starts with small differences.  Stop signs are now blue and no one else remembers them being red.  He soon finds out that he was hit into another dimension and it doesn’t stop.  Each new dimension takes him further from his original world.  Some changes are world-changing and some only affected him.  Even though some things are wonderful, Ash wants to go back to his world before the changes.  Will Ash be able to control the shift and get what he wants?  What will he learn about himself and society as he travels through these alternate dimensions?

 

Game Changer is a stand-alone story that is hard to put into a single genre.  Readers will need to suspend disbelief as Ash travels through dimensions, but everything else falls firmly in a realistic fiction story.  Shusterman takes many hard topics and weaves them into this storyline and readers will grapple with their feelings as Ash grapples with his.  I was worried when the book opened with a sports scene, but this isn’t a sports book.  It is a fun yet serious read that happens to have sports included.

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Review: The Project

The Project by Courtney Summers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lo has been alone ever since her parents died and her sister joined The Unity Project.  The Unity Project does a lot of good things for the communities it serves, but Lo believes some secrets need to be revealed.  She has spent six years trying to uncover these secrets.  After a man comes to Lo’s job and claims The Unity Project was responsible for his son’s death, Lo decides that now is the time to expose the group and get her sister back.  What secrets will Lo uncover?  Will she stay a skeptic or become a believer?

 

The Project is a stand-alone realistic fiction story that explores the turmoil of a family member isolating themselves after joining a cult.  The description of the book piqued my interest, but the execution of the storyline was lackluster.  There was a constant change to alternate time periods and I found my attention needing to be pulled back in constantly.  Overall it was enjoyable, but I don’t consider it as a must-read choice. 

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Review: We Free the Stars

We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The battle is finally over and Altair is in captivity.  Those who fought him know that he already had a plan in place and that it still needs to be stopped.  Nasir is trying to learn to use his magic as a weapon and Zafira hears voices in her head that threaten to take away her sanity.  They both know that the darkness is growing ever closer and they must prepare for battle, even if it costs them a newfound love.  What sacrifices will need to be made to save their world?

 

We Free the Stars in the second book in the Sands of Arawiya series.  We once again find ourselves in a world full of magic where good must overcome evil and readers won’t discover the answer until the end.  Faizal has taken the world she created in We Hunt the Flame and completed the story we didn’t know we wanted to read.  We have magic, adventure, and romance all rolled into a good read.  We Free the Stars is the conclusion to this duology, so readers will know the fate of everyone after this book.

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Review: Trickster

Trickster by Christina Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aldred has a new plan.  He plans to open a portal to a world called the Primeval to release an arbor.  All he needs to do is kill a tree.  But this isn’t any tree; it is the Contagion (an evil wizard).  Now that the wizard is loose, he travels through the portal and steals the life force of children.  Someone needs to go after him.  This is where Lincoln and Myla enter the story.  This duo is used to fighting together, but neither knows anything about the Primeval.  Peli may be willing to help them along the way, but since he is a trickster monkey, the fun is just beginning.  What new forces will this couple need to face in this latest fight?

 

Trickster is the third book in the Angelbound Lincoln series.  Bauer explains before the story begins that this book happens before many of the books already released, but she was able to write it without spoilers if you are reading it out of order (or as a standalone).  This adventure is told in the alternating voices of Lincoln and Myla, so readers will know more about what is occurring then either character separately.  This story is full of fighting and backstabbing.  Also, since Myla and Lincoln are still dating, they have a lot of physical tension they are dealing with.  Although you can read this as a standalone, I suggest all readers at least start with the first Angelbound Lincoln book.

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Review: Mack

Mack by Christina Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mack may be human, but he also runs a league of vampire hunters.  It has been a regular part of his life until recently.  A magical city is about to reopen and Roman wants to use what is inside El Dorado to make an army of vampires.  These vampires do more than just kill people; they look like the last person they killed.  Roman wants to take over the world and fill it with vampires and he knows that Mack is looking for him; so he goes after Kaps, the woman Mack loves.  Mack tries to protect Kaps by breaking up with her, but since Kaps is a dragon shifter, she isn’t one to stay on the sidelines.

 

Mack is the sixth book in the Angelbound Offspring series.  Each new book takes readers deeper into a character in the Angelbound world.  One may think that there isn’t anything new to explore, but then a new book comes out and we are surprised.  There is action and romance and these characters continue to fight for the greater good and protect humans and non-humans alike.  Mack is a great continuation of the series and we have at least one more book destined to be written.

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Review: Crank Palace

Crank Palace by James Dashner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Newt has survived a lot.  He’s been in the Glade, the Maze, the Scorch, and even inside WICKED!  Now Newt has the Flare and he doesn’t want his friends to watch him lose his mind.  While the Gladers are in Denver, Newt leaves with only a note telling them goodbye.  Newt soon discovers that life on the street isn’t much better than what he has already been through.  While on the run he meets Keisha and her son.  Will Newt risk helping them out of their troubles?  How will Keisha and Dante change how Newt faces the world?

 

Crank Palace is a novella in The Maze Runner universe.  The events that take place in this story would have taken place towards the end of The Death Cure (book 3).  Dashner takes us into the mind of Newt and helps us understand what the Flare was like.  Newt may not want his friends to see his decline, but he also knows that he can’t just let things happen.  This novella is a quick read that will leave readers thinking long after it is finished, especially since we are in the middle of Covid-19 when it is released.

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